Benard energized by mentoring kids

Monday

Jan 28, 2013 at 3:00 PM

By Dennis PelhamDaily Telegram Staff Writer

ADRIAN — Life is a full-court press for Aaron Benard.

The 31-year-old truck driver and father of four is re-starting a stalled college career. He continues coaching local youth sports. And he is youth leader at his church, where he says he preaches, teaches, “all the way down to I’m the janitor.”

It’s a challenge to keep up with everything on the daily schedule, Benard said. But he is enjoying it, he said.

“I’m very glad to be where I’m at in my life right now,” he said.

So are others in the community. Bernard was presented with this year’s community service award at last week’s Martin Luther King Jr. dinner in Adrian for his work with local youth.

He began coaching youth teams in 2009, when he was asked to help out with flag football and basketball teams at the YMCA, he said. After that he was asked to work with other programs. He has coached middle school football and basketball players and last fall started the Lenawee Lightning AAU basketball group. He and other coaches manage 25 boys divided between two teams.

Benard said volunteer coaching is a way of being a role model to his four sons, Logan, Adian, Kobe and Deon, aged 9 to 3.

“It’s a way to show them I’m in their corner. I can teach them and guide them in the right direction,” he said.

It is also an opportunity to have a positive impact on others in the community who need a big brother or father figure, he said.

He stresses academic achievement is as important as performing in sports, he said.

“We talk about real-life experiences,” Benard said.

Discipline and cooperation are also taught.

“It takes everybody to work together as a team,” he said.

Benard said he works side-by-side with his father, Robert Benard, bishop of Christ Temple Ministries, headquartered in Adrian. His is youth leader at the church in Adrian.

Last fall, Benard said, he started taking classes at Jackson Community College and plans to return to Eastern Michigan University, where he started college after graduating from Adrian High School in 2000. He recently celebrated his third anniversary with his wife, Sarah, a chemistry student at Adrian College, he said.

Keeping up with all his commitments takes a lot of energy, Benard said. Knowing that he’s making a difference to his family and community provides the fuel, he said.

Even if his sons have to struggle as he has, Benard said, “I’ll have the faith in knowing they can do it.”